What keywords should each brand monitor?

Keywords are a very important element of search engine positioning process. Their proper selection, use in the right way on the website, and later also monitoring have a positive effect on the visibility of the website on the web and high Google positioning.

Each company should develop its own SEO strategy, taking into account the specifics of its business, industry, as well as competition and goals.

WHAT ARE KEY PHRASES?

Keywords or key phrases are used by every Internet user. These are phrases that we enter in the search engine, queries about a piece of specific information, company, product or topic. Why are we increasingly using the term “key phrases” to replace “keywords”? This is due to the fact that our queries are getting longer, very often they are whole sentences, which also play an important role in the selection of key phrases. For this reason, the concept of Long Tail is often used in search engine positioning. These are phrases consisting of several words that are often a question, such as: “How to choose running shoes?”, “How to choose a computer for a gamer?”.

We place keywords on a website in different places, but there are general rules that allow you to better optimise your site. They should be included in the general content as well as in the headings H1, H2 and H3. In addition, they should be included in the title and meta description tags, as there is a (right) belief that they have a positive effect on online visibility in this case as well. They are also used in alt attributes.

We can distinguish many groups of keywords for positioning. Some of them should not only be known, but also monitored by every brand owner who wants to develop, upgrade their positioning in the industry and thus gain more and more trusted and loyal customers.

WHAT KEYWORDS SHOULD YOU USE FOR POSITIONING?

The choice of key phrases depends on several factors. It is necessary to set the goals that we will pursue, as well as precisely define the group of recipients. It is also important whether the company operates on the local or national or even global market. Which keywords for positioning should attract your attention the most and require constant monitoring from you?

• General key phrases: these are usually phrases that can be one word or two words. They are basic for any website, and very generally define products and services. They are entered in the search engine by users who do not yet have specific expectations, so they are only in the first segment of the sales funnel – in its widest section. They are characterised by high competitiveness. For example, for a furniture store it will be “furniture”, and for a design studio it will be “interior designer”.
• Brand key phrases: these are key phrases concerning specific brands/companies. Users enter them in Google when they do not know the exact address of the website. The company’s name must therefore be unique – only then will it appear in the first positions of the search engine. They are also of great importance in assisted conversions. If we sell products of other brands, we can use the keywords related to those brands.
• Regional key phrases: as the name suggests, they relate to a specific region/area where the company provides its services. In the case of some services or online stores, it is the whole of Poland or even foreign countries, which means that regional key phrases are not always used then. However, it is worth using them for local businesses, companies with several branches or when we direct our services/products to customers from one province. It is worth knowing, however, that even non-regional phrases may behave as regional ones, which is conditioned by geolocation.
• Long tail key phrases: they are very important when choosing keywords and then monitoring them. These are more specific phrases, typed by those users who already have specific expectations. It will not be the phrase “furniture” anymore, but for example “wooden loft furniture” or “a large folding table for the living room”. It is worth using them, because this type of search in Google already shows that the user has decided to buy a specific product. Using a greater number of longer phrases will help us reach a specific target group faster. In addition, general key phrases are much more competitive, which makes positioning difficult. Extended phrases are easier and more effective to position.
• Question key phrases: Internet users are looking for answers to many questions. In order to obtain them, they do not enter single, short phrases into Google, but whole queries. Such key phrases are used on the website, among others, in the “Guide” or “News” sections and on the company blog, which is worth keeping due to the effectiveness of such phrases. Examples of question phrases are: “What furniture for a small kitchen?” or “How to arrange a teenager’s room?”.

EFFECTIVE MONITORING. GOOGLE TOOLS FOR GENERATING AND MONITORING KEY PHRASES

The key phrases selected at the beginning will probably require updating after some time, which results, among others, from the changing trends, increasing competition, as well as the expectations and habits of users. The scope of key phrases should be systematically expanded. In addition, we should be sure that the words we choose “work” effectively for our visibility on the web. It may turn out that we have created a not-so-good database of key phrases.

Appropriate tools will help you verify and monitor many parameters that are important for your position. Thanks to them you will find out where your products, services or your brand are mentioned the most often. This creates great opportunities for building lasting relationships with your recipients. Therefore, check key brand phrases and phrases directly related to your offer. What’s more, you should be up to date with topics related to your industry, especially if you run a company blog or post guides on your website. There are still many questions that remain unanswered on the Internet or are not answered exhaustively. You can change it.

How to check your general position, visibility, and CTR? The Google Search Console tool will help you with this. It is useful for managing website traffic. It will generate reports for you presenting the search results and show the number of views of your page and its position.

VERIFICATION OF KEY PHRASES OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Don’t underestimate your competition, which may deprive you of customers, but also bring them to you. How to check the key phrases of your competitors? You can check them in simple websites by browsing them carefully. You will also learn about the key phrases of your competitors from the code of their website. How to do it?

• Open your competitor’s website;
• Select the option EXPLORE or SHOW SOURCE (depending on the browser) by right-clicking on it;
• Find text between <head> and </head>.

It’s definitely advisable to use Google’s Keyword Planner at this stage. It is a tool with which you can choose key phrases for your website and analyse any website in this regard.

Ongoing monitoring of key phrase effectiveness is as important as their selection. In your activities, you should take into account the need for possible changes and updates of both key phrases and content. Don’t limit yourself to general phrases that are highly competitive. Also include long-tail phrases and questions, as well as regional phrases if you do business in a specific area.